Fire at firecracker unit in Mewat kills 2

Two brothers were killed when their house-cum-firecracker manufacturing unit caught fire in Nuh area of Mewat district on Sunday.

The unit was being run illegally at Kellar Road, where a huge amount of firecrackers were stored, the police said, adding that the deceased have been identified as Madan and Kedar.

The incident took place around 12.30 pm.

Though the exact reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained, the police said a cigarette butt may have triggered the blaze.

“Such an incident was bound to happen as no precautionary measure was taken. A fire tender was rushed to the spot to douse the flame,” said Hanuman Sihag, chief fire officer, Gurgaon.

Sihag said the fire did not spread due to the boundary wall of the house.

“We will conduct an investigation to know the exact reason of the fire,” he added.

Fire officials said a number of such illegal firecracker making units are running in the district.

“Buyers often want to test the crackers before they buy it. In these cases, the seller throws the cracker bombs on the wall to test it. Such fire incidents have taken place due to this as well,” said Sihag.